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Show V THE SAN JUAN RECORD Thursday, July 15, 1982 Page 12 ?) The Castle Marcus Text-Debo- rah Photos steep, narrow, unrailed staircase leads to the turret room occupied by two daughters. Karen says the family is often besieged by tourists and fascinated locals who wish to photograph The Castle. One amusing experience occurred when her husband pulled up to the home,, parking his truck in front. An unknown photographer attempting to get a good shot of The Castle, indignantly approached stating, You cant park here, Fm taking a picture. Store, encountered another form of freebies. An Indian woman came into the store to purchase material and overalls. After Jennie had wrapped the parcels, A the woman stated that she had no money. May recalls that when Mother tossed the parcels back on the shelf, the woman had Mother on the floor, both of them rolling over and over and Mother crying, you can have them, you can have them. . In 1952, LaRay Alexander came to teach at the Grayson school where Ernest Biggs was principal. He bought The Castle from Biggs. He never lived there himself, but converted the former chicken coops into apartments that he rented until 1969. As owners of one of the first, and definitely one of the most unusual homes in Blanding, the Slavens are subject to all sorts of inquiries, including their in- terior decorating son-in-la- The Castle The - a unique blend of pioneer fortitude and the romance of stone home turret-adorn- ed of Jim and Karen Slavens of Blanding is traditionally called the castle, On the National Register for Historic Places, this fortress of human achievement built byMor-ma- n pioneer settlers in southeastern Utah, stands as a link between frontier existence and the elaborateness of European-styl- e architecture, Jens Peter Nielson came through the hole in the Rock trail at age 17, He married at age 40, and set out to build a homestead in the town of Grayson, now Blanding. Jens and his wife, Martha Jane (Jennie) Roberts, lived in a tent while he and hired Mexican workmen built a cellar on property that today would equal at least two Blanding city blocks. After living in the cellar, the family moved in 1908 into a stone granary while awaiting the completion of the northeast end room of the house where Jennie could comfortably deliver the couples 28-year-- old third baby, Nielson hired a Salt Lake City man, Dick Lovis, to design and build the home. Local faced rocks and mud mortar were used. According to daughter May, Mr. Lovis worked well when-hwasnt drinking, but he was Only drunk quite frequently. tents and cabins two or three log were in the vicinity at the time the house was built there, Lovis often and Nielson burning cook stove, a pantry, adjacent cistern room with a pump served the family for cook- ing, canning, laundry, bulk food storage and water. The home became a free hotel for travelers in the remote desert country. The guests, most often invited by Nielson during his travels, enjoyed the tinkling chimes of miniature Chinese bells that hung from a square tower well that filtered light into the square dining room adjacent to the The parlor. round-shap- ed windows in that light tower were hanging opened by rock-weight- ed, ropes. May contends that life then made people more neighborly, Father never charged any money for people to stay over. father was known as the giant who lived in a castle.' He was generous. An adventuresome man, he bought stock in Mexican sugar, rubber, oil wells, and gold mines. He prospered. In 1922, he suffered a hip accident that left him crippled and using crutches for the rest of his life. He never complained. He died of diabetes in 1935. .... - In 1937, Nielsons wife Jennie moved to Ogden. Her daughter, Ernest May, and into moved part of the Biggs, large home. While the Nielsons had planted twigs that grew into beautiful shade trees, the Biggs added a luxurious lawn around son-in-la- w, the home. ' European-styl- architecture. Ernest, a Grayson school prin-an- d cipal and amateur photographer, set up a darkroom in the home, lowered the ceilings to eight feet for heating convenience, and turned some of the downstairs rooms into rental apartments, Several original rooms were converted into a bedroom, den, an(j utility areas. Pantry areas turned into bathrooms and one bathroom became the darkroom, Rooms changed shape and ut- ilization purposes as original doorways were sealed off to create storage and convenience spaces. In commenting upon the historic home. May states that, We talk about the way it was, but it was so many ways. The Biggs replaced many of the original furnishings and fix-tures in the home which they occupied from 1937 until 1952, y They added coal steam heating, put in carpeting, planted lilacs, irises and wild roses, May relates stories about her familys idiosyncrasies including her fathers hobby of setting up stores. May notes that while Father never made money from his mercantiles, he stocked our former granary home to be used as a store. I remember father telling his store clerk that he didnt want to make any profit on the candy. Hed never let a child go out of the store with- out a little free candy. One day Mays mother Jennie, who tended the Nielson Cash ornamental rugs. large kitchen with a wood A tory. The sturdy home with its prac- tical features reflects the strong, growing spirits of its current owners and their appreciative use of the past. Over $100 Off Mini Pantry Unit 31 A gallon cans Good thru July 26 generous supply of delicious Dehydrated Basic Food Items to serve a family of four for one month .... e chosen to maintain a medieval atmosphere, Karen laughingly explains that the paint was not part of a planned decision, but rather the leftovers from her husbands building contract work. Planned or not, the castle home with its blend of open, skylit spaces and deeply colored cubbyholes and niches, is a monument of architectural ingenuity from a time .of Americas pioneer his- The turret of The Castle has been converted into a bedroom for two of the Slavens daughters. The balcony is new. .... European-styl- if these colors were my 12-f- oot The home had 24 windows and 22 doors, according to May, who used to count thosd spaces rather than sheep when she could not. sleep. Each room had hardwood floors covered with Navajo rugs and When asked Slavens, a building contractor, rented one of those apartments. In 1972 they purchased The Castle. They and their seven children have lived in the home for thir- -s teen years. While retaining the homes unique, original appearance, they added modern kitchen and bathroom conveniences and a second story balcony off of the upstairs turret room. They moved into a home replete with stories and family history and lore, and have maintained a sense of Hie Castles inherent dignity with a blend of antiques and current furnishings. clashed about architectural designs for the house, Louis contended that turrets and round rooms with stained glass were in vogue. His ideas prevailed. He created high ceilings that were aesthetically fine but the rooms retained cold that, as May relates, Mother would wear gloves and overshoes to make the house was so the beds cold that the bathroom plumbing froze and we used other sources we until the spring thaw bathed in tin tubs and went over the irrigation ditch bridge to the toilet no matter what time of day or night or what the weather. of the home. Many of the rooms are painted in deep tones of rust or blue. In 1969, Alexanders daughter w, Karen and Jim e John Noxon FREE Call Two generations of Castle inhabitants, May Biggs and Karen Slavens, in the former parlor room. BONUS-A- ny Onlycan $379 of your choice for a taster with this unit Monthly payments available l-q- uart Joyce Harvey, Your SamAndy Dealer 801-587-29- 12 or 801-587-27- 04 |